Todzilla

Getting a new job with a 17 mile commute. I know some of you are hard-core and would scoff at my wussiness.

But I'm in my mid-50s and my old 3 mile commute was more my style.

The new job is great, though, but I'll miss bike commuting.

acidfast7

move.

MNBikeCommuter

It's not an all or nothing thing. Maybe do it a couple of times a week?

apollored

Ride further at weekends as you'll be fresher.

Notso_fastLane

Or, find a park and ride. Drive part way, bike the rest. Bus in, bike home...there's all kinds of options. If you've never done a 17 mile ride, try it once or twice. Get someone to drive you to work on a day that you're off, and just do the ride home. You might be surprised how fast you can cover 17 miles, even at a relatively sedate pace.

canyoneagle

One option is to do a split format - drive (or transit) to work with the bike, then ride home. Ride the bike to work the next morning, then drive home. My housemate does just that (17-18 miles each way) and it works great for him. He's now thinking of doing "ride days" where he'll ride in and back one day, then drive/transit another, with a goal of eventually riding 3-4 days a week.
I'd say, build up to it - it's not an all or nothing thing as MNBike mentioned. No need to give it up entirely if is it something you enjoy doing and the route is feasible.

Doohickie

I hear ya. I was commuting regularly 7 miles each way. My office moved and now I'm 17 miles one way. I continued to commute by bike 1 or 2 times a week for a while, but in the end I decided it was better for me to be home earlier to walk the dogs, do dinner with the wife, etc. I still ride, but most of my rides during the week are in the evening after work.

chaadster

Yeah, don't be done, just do it differently! Lots of good ideas above that reduce the ride length, but still keep you riding!

Rootman

You could also split it in a different way, dude I know moved further away and drives his car with the bike rack and bike on it to a friends house about 1/2 way to work, rides the bike the rest of the way in. Works for him.

Mark Stone

I agree with everyone else. I'll be 60 in 3 months and I understand how you feel! but the idea of driving part way and riding the rest that was brought up by a couple of people in this thread is a great idea and I do that sometimes. Another option is to ride part way and use public transportation the rest of the way. Or, one day drive your car to work with the bike on the rack, then ride home. Next morning, ride to work then drive home (if you can secure your bike at work). Then drive to work and ride home, leaving your car at work. Heck there's a lot of ways to stay on the bike and commute

Metal Man

Ebike!!

FenderTL5

As others have already suggested, look for options. I'll be 50 on my birthday. I started commuting via bicycle back in May. I ride 3 miles to the MTA Park and Ride. Then I put the bike and myself onto the bus and ride varying lengths the rest of the way in. I can be as close as a half mile, or get off the bus earlier to extend the ride. Most mornings I ride an additional 5+ miles. I ride to the bus station in the afternoon, then back to the P&R. It's about 12 miles roundtrip.

noglider 

The split style commute isn't as crazy as it sounds. The effects on carbon footprint and on your fitness are significant.

agent pombero

Don't give up :-)

Go for at least one day a week via bike. You could:

1) Bike there one way (17 miles) and lock up your bike and have a buddy drive you home. The next week you could have the buddy pick you up before work and then you could ride home (17 miles). Alternate and repeat.

2) As others pointed out look into park and ride, public transit, etc.

3) If all us fails, ride a lot either after work or on the weekends!

mikhalit

One of my former Uni professors is a judo veteran, she eats young sportsmen for breakfast if she feels like it. She's 70+. I bet you could ride 17 miles once in a while.



PS. +1 to the suggestion #1 from agent pombero. Though I would be happy to have a 17 mile commute and ride it daily!

GFish

If the commuting was habit forming; in that it was enjoyable and something to look forward to, then you're going to miss it.

Instead of quitting altogether, pick and choose days that work best for you. Perhaps 1 to 3 days a week.

I'm in my mid-fifties too, only started biking 17 months ago and commute 30 miles round trip 2 - 5 days a week. I feel better when I bike to work and really miss the days I don't. Plus, I like the sense of purpose commuting provides.

Having a longer commute isn't a death sentence, it's an opportunity to embrace new challenges. And you may surprise yourself at what you can accomplish.

all the best....

balto charlie

I'm almost 59, and have been commuting for 12 years. When my commute increased to 24 miles rt(plus a train ride) I didn't think I wanted to do it any longer. Then I realized I would have to listen to the traffic reports instead of the weather reports. I prefer the weather reports, thus I ride everyday, rain or shine or ice. I ride less on wknds these days but that's OK. Riding for a purpose(getting somewhere) is more fun, less scenic but more fun.

Burton

I'd think the details of the route would be more a determining factor than the length of the commute. As long as the biking route is safe - that should be an hour commute or less each way. How long will it actually be by car vs bike? Might be worth some comparisons.

Just for fun - I'll be 60 in a couple months and my commute is about 13kms and takes about 20 minutes. Since there's a dedicated bike route - its actually faster than by car.

But congrats on the new job - whatever the final commuting decision.

fietsbob

City of London's Congestion Tax, promotes a split commute..

Park the Bentley just outside the Zone, and ride in from there..

Todzilla

I figured you guys wouldn't let me off easy!

Back in my whippersnapper days, I thought nothing of a 10, 20 mile commute. If I'm going to do it now, I'll definitely need to look into a different bike. My Breezer Villager with all its accouterments is 40+ lbs. Hauling that, and my fat ass 34 miles a day would kill me.

MNBikeCommuter

All right! Good to see there's some softening in your thinking. :-) But cripes, mid-50s being over the hill? I'm not far behind and I'm cranking out a half century commute up to five times a week. Yeah, recovery time isn't as fast as it used to be, so I take a day or two off when needed. And my wife says I have absolutely no ass and doesn't know how I can sit in a chair. :-)

re: bike. Check into a good touring bike. I've been riding the same Cannondale since '92, and it weighs in at about 25 lbs (for comparison with your "tank"). Drop bars, longer wheel base, rack, fenders, etc., make it an excellent long-haul commuter. We hit 97k miles together last week!

Mark Stone

No, what will kill you is if you stop riding. In your mid 50s you're still in your whippersnapper days! Even if the commute is too long, ride your bike in the afternoons or early in the morning. Stay on it. Do half-commutes as we have suggested. Becoming sedentary while you're in your mid 50s is a death sentence - staying active keeps you strong and ups your odds against heart disease, cancer, diabetes and alzheimer's. I'm not saying these diseases are prevented, I'm saying they are much less likely. People our age (I'm 59) are at a very important turning point and every decision we make to stay active or not carries a lot of importance. Stay active and save your life. If you stop riding, we'll come find you

droy45

17 miles one way is a fairly long commute but it can be done, just not every day. Pick the best days, leave much earlier in the morning and take your time in the evening. All the suggestions here are very good but involve more planning and work which will get old quick. Changing your comfy bike will make the trip shorter and faster but it will also take its toll on your body as drop bars, higher seat etc. are painful unless you're a well seasoned athlete with no aches and pains. I'm 53 and commute 11 miles one way every day unless there is a snow storm. I have a customized comfy 29 lb. mountain bike with slicks for the summer months and it takes me 1 hour. It takes a little longer in the winter with the bigger studded tires. I could easily do more if I allowed more time as I feel well when I arrive and I'm not tired. Don't give it up you have alot of options here and all the suggestions are good, it just depends on the individual and what works. Best of Luck.

david58

My wife and I are looking to move to the country, so we can have a smaller house and bigger spot of dirt since we are stuck on the idea of breeding dogs (our city has a two-dog limit ordinance). Today, I'm drawing a 20 mile radius around my workplace, which is likely the limit for practicality for me (there is one location though that I would not accept, not going to ride on highway 99E....). My normal commute today is 8-9 miles depending on the variation, and many days I wish it were longer to force a few more miles out of me. My thought, if we move further out, is to ride 3 days per week round trip, allowing my old 55 year old butt to rest a couple of days and to keep the ride "fresh."

As to modifying your bike choice, I am looking for a new commuter myself, to be able to race my CX bike I commute on today. Going to get another CX bike - I really like the geometry, ability to run wider tires (usually 28's), and the rack fixtures. With the CX, I can ride the long way home now in the summer (40+ miles) on an almost-road-bike bike. My bike before adding all the fixtures was 22 pounds, but lighter can be found. Due to the cement in me arse, I don't need to be spending big bucks on a light bike until after I have dropped another bike's-worth of weight.

But back to the most important part - don't give up on the commuting, even for just a couple of days a week. 17 miles isn't that long, and an hour plus of exercise in the morning or evening is going to be way better for you than not riding.

JoeyBike

I'm 55 with a minimum commute distance of 6 miles (or so). Twice a week I go the long, scenic way which bumps me up to 15 miles in the morning just for fun. When I was 50 I had a mandatory 18 mile commute each way, each day. That, I agree, was a bit much every single day. The distance was not problem for me, it was the added time (an hour each way) that dug into my other interests.

If I were in your cleats, I would just bike to work once in a while on the most beautiful days. Maybe even bike in, taxi out, then taxi in, bike out on another day. Or perhaps a co-worker lives along your route somewhere and you could arrange a partial carpool. Maybe even a folding bike added to the stable.

If you really miss commuting, you will figure something out once you get comfy with your new job layout.